Park Square Theatre Presents PAINTING CHURCHES, Opens 3/5

Tina Howe's PAINTING CHURCHES opens March 5. When Mags (Angela Timberman), a New York City painter on the verge of artistic celebrity, returns home to help her aging, eccentric parents (Richard Ooms and Katherine Ferrand) pack up their Boston mansion, she suddenly sees them in a new light. A touching portrait that explores family ties, PAINTING CHURCHES is more than a moving experience.

Jon Cranney directs three of the Twin Cities' most experienced, versatile actors in Tina Howe's Pulitzer Prize-nominated play, which draws on the inner-workings of a loving and talented family while at the same time illuminates the connections between life and art. Painting Churches opens at Park Square Theatre, 20 W. Seventh Pl., Saint Paul, on March 5 (previews begin February 26) and runs through March 21.

Painting Churches was first produced off-Broadway in 1983 and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize the following year. Director Cranney said, "This really is a play for our times. It's full of poetry and art, but it's the language and the interesting, compelling characters that elevate difficult family conflicts to meaningful accommodations in this poignant story."

The Painting Churches artistic team includes Nayna Ramey (scenic), Mike Kittel (lighting), Michael Hallenbeck (sound), Amy B. Kaufman (costumes) and Amber WR Miller (properties).

Previews of Painting Churches will be held Friday, February 26 through Thursday, March 4; the show opens Friday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with 2:00 p.m. matinees on Sundays through February 7. All performances are in the company's intimate theater in Saint Paul's historic Hamm Building, 20 W. Seventh Place. Tickets are $36 on Thursdays through Sundays (with opening night at $40). Group, senior, and speciAl Prices for those 30 and under are also offered. Tickets are available at 651-291-7005 or online www.parksquaretheatre.org.